


It's compromise that moves us along

by SarcasticBella



Category: Pitch Perfect RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 04:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2947649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticBella/pseuds/SarcasticBella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One Shot. Brittany and Anna have been together for 5 years now, and Brittany is ready to settle down and start a family. Anna on the other hand, isn't so sold on the idea. When it comes to a baby, how will the two find a compromise?</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's compromise that moves us along

**Hello there! This is something that popped into my head earlier this morning when I watched an interview with Anna Kendrick in which she mentioned she had no plans for future children. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

_New York City, December 2020_

"It would be snowing right now." I complained as we stepped out of the cab and grabbed our bags from the trunk. I swore, every year the transition from LA to NY got more and more difficult.

Brittany laughed as she came around to help me. "Babe, you grew up in Maine for God's sake, how are you not used to the cold yet?"

"Hey, I have not been a full time resident of Maine for the past 17 years thank you very much!"

We paid the cab driver and gathered our things as we looked up at the beautiful Brownstones stretched before us. Despite the cold, it was really good to be back.

"Hello?" I called out as Brittany and I made our way inside the New York Brownstone.

"Aunt Anna and Aunt Brittany are here!" I heard a small child squeal from somewhere inside.

As Britt and I began to take our coats off, 4 year old Emily Astin came running down the hall, her beautiful, curly, dirty blonde hair bounced in its pigtails. With her arms stretched wide, she threw herself into Brittany's body, who promptly picked her up and squeezed her tightly.

"Aunt Britt I missed you!" Emily giggled.

"I missed you too sweet girl!" Brittany replied as she looked her up and down. "What are you, 25 now?"

"No, silly, I'm 4!"

"Well, I see the welcoming committee has done it's job." Skylar laughed as he dried his hands off and made his way down the hall to greet us. "Seriously though, so glad you guys could make it! It's been way too long."

I hugged him tightly and smiled. "Yeah, that's cuz New York is for the birds, it's gotta be like 25 degrees outside. LA is in Sky, you and Anna need to get with the times."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, never. Sorry about your luck Kendrick, but I'm afraid you and Brittany are stuck with the yearly New York Christmas visits. Not to mention, it's New York in December, the snow, the lights, the rockettes, nobody does Christmas quite like New York."

"Please excuse Anna, her idea of a good Christmas is lying on the beach with a Corona." Britt laughed as she gave me a nudge.

Our banter was effortless, but we had also been doing this for the past 5 years.

After filming wrapped for Pitch Perfect 2, Britt and Anna Camp made some tearful drunken pact one night that they would visit each other at least once a year. And so it became tradition, we visited the Astin family in New York every year for 5 days on the 2nd weekend of December. Sometimes Alexis would show up, or Ester, Rebel, Ben, Hanna, Adam, etc. Basically, if anybody happened to be in New York at the time, they came and joined us. But as it was, Britt and I showed up every year without fail. And while I consistently ragged on Skylar for making us come out to the cold of the east coast , I actually enjoyed the routine of it. It never truly felt like Christmas until we were here seeing the Rockettes, Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center, and shopping in Macy's.

Plus, this was the first tradition Brittany and I ever had.

After filming wrapped on the second movie, I finally succumbed to the charm that is Brittany Snow. I had fought it hard for so damn long, because, I mean, come on, Brittany? We were never more than anything but friends. Not to mention, Britt was my complete opposite. I was the twisted, dark, sarcastic, asshole. Brittany on the other hand, had the thousand watt smile, and was the sweetest woman alive. She lived to please, and offended no one. Meanwhile, my agent was coming up to me and trying to tell me, in the nicest way you can possibly tell someone, that perhaps I could tone down my sarcasm? I at least attempted it, but for a while, many of my interviews were completely ridiculous and awkward as I kept having to remind myself to not be sarcastic.

And so I fought, I fought until I couldn't fight anymore. 5 years ago, Brittany took my chin in her hands and begged.

"Please, please stop fighting me. I wouldn't be pushing so hard if I knew you didn't absolutely want this as much as I do."

The rest, as they say, is history. We had been together ever since, and everyone was better because of it. It wasn't until after we came out to everyone that I learned a bet had been floating around on set to see when we would finally cave and admit we loved each other. If memory serves me correctly, it was Alexis who won the money.

5 years later, here we were once again in New York City, ready for another incredible 5 days together with our friends.

"Sorry, were a bit more lame now that we've got two little ones in tow." Anna laughed as she made her way into the foyer with the newest addition to the family in her arms, 2 month old Layla Victoria.

"Anna, look at her, she is absolutely perfect." Brittany crooned as she gazed at the baby.

"Hot momma, you sure she came out of you? You look phenomenal!" I complimented. Anna truly had already gained her figure back.

She pushed her hand across her forehead and smiled. "What can I say, I work out."

"Mommy, mommy! Can Aunt Anna and Aunt Brittany come play with me now?" Emily asked.

"You know, contrary to popular belief, Anna and Brittany do not come every year just to play with you sweet girl. Why don't we let them get settled in, and we'll have a nice dinner together. Then maybe afterwards, if you ask really nicely, I'm sure they'll play a game with you. In the meantime, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner."

Emily quickly scurried off, leaving the adults to chat.

"Well, you guys are in the usual guest bedroom. Dinner should be ready in about 30 minutes if you wanna get settled in." Skylar informed us. Britt and I looked between each other and nodded as we gathered our things.

The Astin household during Christmas time was a magical place even for an adult.

The fire could be heard crackling away in the living room as smooth jazz Christmas music played through out the house. Their 7 foot tree was decked out and ready to go just waiting for Santa to add some presents beneath it. Garland and white lights decorated the staircases and mantle. Their views from the rooftop were always a spectacular sight, and our trips never ended without a few pictures.

In the kitchen, Anna, 2 months postpartum, cooked up a 12 pound turkey complete with all the trimmings-mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce, carrots, and an apple crisp for dessert.

"Good God woman, please tell me you didn't do this all by yourself!" I exclaimed, making my way into the kitchen as she pulled the Turkey out.

"What can I say, I kind of get carried away. It's what happens when I get into something I truly love. Besides, Alexis, Hanna, and Ben are joining us for the evening, so I wanted to make sure we had enough. You guys are worth it." She said, smiling as she got everything prepared to place on the table. "So how are you Anna? I heard you landed the role for Mia Zapata. That's amazing, congratulations!"

"Thank you, yeah I'm really looking forward to getting started on it. We start filming on location in Seattle in March."

I watched as Anna busied herself in the kitchen, and thought how put together she was. A happily married woman with two little girls, she was the epitome of adulthood. I felt like I was winning on the days I made it out of bed before 11am.

We chatted back and forth about our lives, mine in LA and her's in New York and about upcoming projects and life with two children. Our conversation was casual and effortless.

"So what about you, you and Britt have been together for what, 5 years now? Any thoughts on starting a family?"

It was a difficult question. I knew she didn't mean anything by it, but it was the pink elephant in the room that Brittany and I had been avoiding for months.

"Well, I for one am never getting pregnant, like ever. So that's that situation. I'm sure Britt wants kids at some point, I just don't know how I feel about it. I'm not _exactly_ what you would call the maternal type, hell I can barely keep a house plant alive, let alone a child. Like...I'd probably forget to feed it or something, those things eat every day right?"

She laughed at my vague sense of humor. "Trust me, you wouldn't forget to feed it, they don't let you forget. I swear, if I'm even a minute late with Layla, she's screaming hysterically."

"Yeah, I think we'll leave to the baby making to you and Sky. You guys do make the most beautiful children."

"Thank you, I may be a little biased, but I'm going to agree with you on that." She looked over to where Emily was coloring in the living room. "They're something special for sure."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Anna took off her apron, brought the turkey to the table and smiled. "Right on time."

I poured myself another glass of Riesling as I heard the door open and greetings of Merry Christmas were exchanged. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my dress. I turned around to see Emily, with her big, round, brown eyes staring up at me. She motioned with her finger for me to come down to her level. I bent down and looked at her.

"Aunt Anna, can I tell you something?" She asked.

"Of course baby, you can tell me anything." I assured her. Her face was so full of innocence.

"I know you don't think so, but...I think you would make a good mommy. Maybe it's not too late to think about it."

My face immediately softened and I found myself fighting back tears.

"Maybe you're right." I whispered.

She hugged me tightly, and buried her face in my neck. Damn Skylar and Anna, you raised one hell of a child.

* * *

We sat around the table, catching up with each other as conversation flowed and wine was poured. It felt so good to reconnect with old friends, and I was sure I hadn't gone five minutes without laughing in the past two hours.

"Filming wouldn't have taken so damn long had Rebel not gone on those hilariously insane tangents, that's what held us up! Good lord, my cheeks were ripped after biting them so much trying not to laugh." Hanna laughed.

Laughing, I looked over to Brittany who was distant, and quiet. Not obviously so, but I could tell something was definitely bothering her. I slid my hand under the table to hold her hand, and squeezed it gently.

Anna got up to begin making coffee and bring out the Apple Crisp and ice cream.

"Hey, you okay?" I whispered.

"Yeah, totally fine." She smiled, nodding her head. I knew she was lying, but I also knew not to press it. There would be plenty of time later to discuss what was bothering her.

"...it was in this fanfiction I read the other day." I heard Alexis say as I finally brought my attention back to our friends.

"You cannot seriously tell me you read that stuff." I scoffed.

"Hey, don't knock it til you try it. Some of it's actually really good. Some of it creepy though too, I will give you that. Those writers were shipping the hell out of you two from the very beginning though, for real!"

We continued to laugh and banter as we grabbed our dessert and continued to enjoy our meal with one another.

"Daddy?" Emily questioned, tugging on Skylar's shirt.

"Yeah princess, what's up?"

"Can I watch a movie in the play room?"

Skylar looked over to Anna who, mid sip in her coffee, smiled and nodded her head.

"Absolutely, what's the choice tonight?" Skylar asked. Emily's face lit up.

"Sweeny Todd! Sweeny Todd!" She exclaimed, causing us all to burst out laughing.

Emily sweetheart, mommy and I have already told you, no Sweeny Todd until you're at least 10."

"But...But...But Sondheim!" She argued.

"Into the Woods it is!" Skylar chose as he lifted Emily up into his arms. "Come on, lets go get jammies on, and you can settle in to watch it. Maybe Aunt Anna will even come join you at some point and sing along with you."

* * *

I climbed into bed with her, as I looked out at the window, admiring the falling snow and peaceful night. She was laying there quietly, her back facing towards me, and her hair splayed across her face.

I pulled the covers over myself and scooted closer to her, rubbing my hand up and down her arms. She didn't respond.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" I whispered, our room seemingly deathly silent.

She shook her head in response, and we just laid there in silence until I could tell by her body, she was trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

"Brittany, hey, look at me, please." I pleaded. She finally turned her body to face towards me, and sure enough, tears fell silently from her face.

"Baby what's wrong?" I asked, my forehead creasing in worry. She looked so sad.

"It's nothing, I'm fine." She responded, wiping away at her tears.

"Don't. Please don't shut me out." I kissed her cheek and ran my fingers through her hair, trying to get her to talk to me. It wasn't often that she ever shut me out on things, and I prided us on our ability to communicate with each other.

"I overheard your conversation with Anna earlier." She finally explained. I tried to think back to what kind of conversation I could have possibly had had with Anna that would upset Brittany.

"You said kids weren't in the cards for you, ever." She continued. Oh right, that conversation. The conversation Britt and I had been avoiding for months because we both knew we each wanted different things. I sighed heavily. We couldn't avoid it any longer.

"I'm 34 years old Anna, I want a baby. I want to get pregnant, to experience growing a human being"

It was such a simple request.

"I just can't seem to figure out a compromise. Britt you've known me for 8 years, I am not the motherly type, kids terrify me. Not to mention, their like tiny little life suckers. And the older they get, the more they need. Our lives would never be the same." I explained to her, trying to get her to see my side of things.

Children really did terrify me, and they could smell my fear from miles away. I just didn't get the appeal. What did a woman get out of it? You got pregnant, watched as your body was destroyed over the course of nine months, went through hours of excruciating agony, and pushed the kid out of your vagina, which would never look the same again. From then on, it did nothing but want and need. Food, clothes, toys, vacations. Before you knew it, the child was 16 years old and telling you how much they hated you and how you completely fucked up their life. Yeah, that sounded fabulous, where did I sign up?

"You're telling me you don't look at Emily and Layla and feel a tug in your heart? A want for that?" She questioned.

"No, I don't. I love those little girls, but I'm also not their primary caregiver. I don't have to breast feed, or change diapers, or wake up at 2 in the morning." I pointed out. "Can't we just...I don't know, start our smaller? Why don't we get a dog first."

I liked our lives just how they were. I loved that I could make 4 movies in a year, I liked that Britt and I could go out and get trashed and party with our friends until 2 in the morning, I really liked that we could take spontaneous international vacations whenever we felt like it. Did I mention I loved the way our lives were right now? Once again, there was no way to compromise on this. One of us was going to be miserable. I sighed once more.

She pulled back, an incredulous look on her face. "I did not recover from an eating disorder just so I could one day go on to own a dog!"

There it was, her darkest secret, the subject she refused to discuss with me. My mind had to take a second to realize that she was in fact actually bringing this up.

"Why did you recover?" I asked her. I was so desperate to talk to her about this. I knew she still had insecurities, that occasionally she still struggled with bouts of depression now and then. But the second I ever brought up her past issues with eating, I was immediately shut down.

She ran her fingers through her hair and looked up at the ceiling as she began to cry even harder.

"Why is it so hard for you to talk about this with me? We have literally shared everything with each other, everything but this." I pushed.

"Because. Because if I talk about it, if I allow all those memories to resurface, what if I'm tempted to go back? I was so skinny back then, I was perfect." She sobbed. My heart shattered into pieces at her confession.

I shook my head emphatically. "No, no dammit. You were not perfect, you were sick. You were so sick, and I swear I will never let you go back there."

I kissed her forehead and held her in my arms as she cried.

* * *

We laid there in the bed together, simply holding each other after Britt's tears subsided. I turned to face her and brushed my fingers across her face.

"You really want a baby? More than anything else?"

She wrapped her arm around my waist and began rubbing circles around my exposed skin.

"What I want more than anything else in this world is you. A baby is directly under that. But if it means losing you, then I will find a way to suppress the the desire." She replied, her beautiful blue eyes staring back at me. This was it, I was going to be the one to give in on this. I knew how desperate she was for a child, and I couldn't deny her that opportunity. She had fought so hard in her life to survive, I refused to be the reason she didn't become a mother.

"Okay then." I whispered.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said okay. If you can give me a year to wrap my head around this, then I'm on board with going to the sperm bank and you getting pregnant." I explained.

Her face immediately broke out into a smile as tears welled up in her eyes.

"But-"

"No, no buts. I love you, and I refuse to be the reason you don't end up getting the chance to be mommy. Just as long as I don't have to carry the baby, we'll get through it." I said, my fingers gently caressing her cheek. My love for Brittany trumped everything. I would learn to love play dates and trips to the park and Saturday morning cartoons. I would learn to get there.

"I love you." She whispered as she leaned in to kiss me.

"I love you too." I breathed in between kisses.

Compromise, it ain't always rainbows and butterflies.


End file.
